Staten Island Ferry

[hermione]

I am so confused. Is this what we take to see the Statue of Liberty? Is it really free? 

[lpcats]

No, there are ferries that only go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. They leave from either Liberty State Park in Jersey City or lower Manhattan.

[archiethedragon]

the staten island ferry drives past the statue of liberty so you can see if fairly close (but not super close). And yes it is free. You have to get off on staten island (they don't let you stay on the boat) and wait for the next ferry to get back to manhattan.

[mrsslocombe]

If you want to VISIT the statue (and/or Ellis Island) you have to book with Statue City Cruises www.cityexperiences.com/new-york/city-cruises/statue/ and they sell out in advance.

They are the only ones that actually go to the statue. There are other (paid) boats that take you around the statue to view.

The Staten Island Ferry is a commuter ferry and is free, and you get a good view of the Statue from it.

[mrsslocombe]

Options if you want to see it from land:

Brooklyn Bridge Park (Pier 5 is the best IMO).
Brooklyn Heights Promenade

Governor's Island has the closest view but it's time consuming to go there and come back.

Right now Battery Park in Manhattan is really torn up with construction so most of the best views are blocked. You can see it a little bit near Albany street on the west side.

[tacokick]

Unless you are very passionate about seeing up close or on land, I think the SI Ferry is fine.

If riding a ferry is not something you normally do, that’s fun in and of itself. My husband used to commute to high school on that ferry! There are restaurants within walking distance and I think a lighthouse museum on the Staten Island side. Lots of great Sri Lankan food there too.

[hermione]

I want to take a boat that will take us past the Statue of liberty and return us to the same place we boarded without getting off at all. Is there a recommended company?

[brooklyn]

Oct 23, 2024 13:38:19 GMT -5 hermione said:

I want to take a boat that will take us past the Statue of liberty and return us to the same place we boarded without getting off at all. Is there a recommended company?

It’s more $$$$, but if you want to stay on the boat, I’d do a circle line cruise.

They have a few options with Statue of Liberty views.

www.circleline.com/

(I do recommend states island ferry as an economical option. You disembark, but can get right back on to return)

[mrsslocombe]

Oct 23, 2024 13:38:19 GMT -5 hermione said:

I want to take a boat that will take us past the Statue of liberty and return us to the same place we boarded without getting off at all. Is there a recommended company?

How much time (and money) do you want to spend? The Circle Line tours are good, though it's minimum 1 hr (I've only done the full 3 hour tour). They also leave from midtown and it's a long walk to get the terminal, though you can take the bus. 

I haven't done any of the other options, they all sort of do the same thing though, the boats just range from bare bones to slightly nicer. The shortest tours are out of Pier 16, but most leave from further away so they take longer. 

[expectantsteelerfan]

Oct 23, 2024 13:38:19 GMT -5 hermione said:

I want to take a boat that will take us past the Statue of liberty and return us to the same place we boarded without getting off at all. Is there a recommended company?

I did the Staten Island Ferry with 2 young kids who were hard to wrangle when we wanted to 'see' the statue of liberty but didn't need to be up close.  It was fine to get off on the other side and then board the next boat.  Considering it was free and my kids loved the boat ride in general, I was glad we did it that way.  I have pictures of them at the rail with the statue in the background, and they still remember doing it many years later.  

[ohgillian]

Another vote for the Staten Island ferry. It’s really straightforward to manage, even with kids.

[CloudBee]

Do the Staten Island Ferry! It's free, convenient, the line moves fast, and you'll get to see the SOL without hassle. You can also get a good view from land. I think the free route checks your boxes perfectly.

[emilyinchile]

Oct 23, 2024 13:38:19 GMT -5 hermione said:

I want to take a boat that will take us past the Statue of liberty and return us to the same place we boarded without getting off at all. Is there a recommended company?

Just in case it's helpful to know, having just done the ferry (with a fresh-off-an-overnight-flight 3 year old), I personally would not have found any advantage to a boat that didn't require us to disembark. We literally walked off, walked a short distance. in a U-turn shape and got straight back on a different boat that left a couple minutes later. They announced that our boat was going out of service, so I don't know if other times you can just stay on the same one.

[sent]

If you take the SI Ferry, guaranteed there will be a group of people getting off and getting right back in the line to go back.

There are no other boats that depart from there on the SI side so you can't get lost or anything. Last time I did it with the fam, there was a Dunkin' in the terminal I think on the SI side.